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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133786">A Fall of Rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixthNight/pseuds/SixthNight'>SixthNight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure &amp; Romance, Drama, F/M, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:13:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixthNight/pseuds/SixthNight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Comfort comes in many forms. Tifa learns how vital it is to let herself be comforted and Cloud learns how to let down his guard. (Tifa/Cloud)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. When the Rain Falls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Racing thoughts of death and of pain chased her from the bed. She couldn't lie still without it catching up to her. The silence of the dark house reached for her like a smothering blanket of smoke, she just needed <em>out</em>. She shoved her feet back into her shoes and slipped into the hall, creeping down the stairs on soft steps. She was out the door before it occurred to her that it was pouring rain. She thought that was fitting. The sky had opened up, sending down tears for the lives that had just been ended. It sent shivers down her spine, her legs coming up with gooseflesh.</p><p>Tifa Lockhart didn't know where she was going. She surveyed, not caring as the rain slicked her hair down, strands of it clinging to her cheeks. There. On the hill, with the flowers. She started into a run, hoping to find some shred of comfort among the blooms so lovingly cared for. A small part of her gave enough room to consider how similar they looked to the flower Cloud had offered her when they had met again. That seemed like years ago.</p><p>She wanted to scream. Wanted to rage at the sky. At <em>anything</em>. But she just stood in stillness, trying desperately to hold the pieces of her together. She heard footfalls behind her, but she just kept staring into the darkness.</p><p>"Can't sleep?" He asked.</p><p>She steadied herself, willing her voice not to tremble as she answered, "No. You too?"</p><p>"I heard footsteps."</p><p>"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."</p><p>"I'm a light sleeper. It's a SOLDIER thing."</p><p>She huffed an attempt at a laugh, failing. "That flower you gave me the other night. That was from Aerith, wasn't it?"</p><p>Tifa finally turned to face Cloud as a small noise came out of him. He shifted uncomfortably.</p><p>She let out a rueful laugh as she said, "I knew there was something weird going on. You, buying flowers." A pause, "They symbolize reunion, believe it or not. I was curious, so I looked it up."</p><p>A half-truth. She'd wondered if the flower meant anything coming from Cloud. She'd been reading into it with hope that she didn't dare to give much space in her heart. At last, she looked at him, saw the raindrops try to take down all those blonde spikes. A chill washed through her bones.</p><p>"I tried to keep it alive as long as I could." She had… so little control over what happened to the flower. She mourned that inability to change the chain of events, grappled with the loss. "But now… it's dead and buried. Like the bar, our home…" her throat constricted, the last words coming out a bitter sigh "And everything else."</p><p>A single tear escaped in that moment. Tifa swayed slowly as the swirling storm of emotions running through her crescendoed. Torn between staying where she was or moving forward, she hesitated. But her feet betrayed her, sending her forward nonetheless. The distance closed and she crashed into Cloud, her forehead coming to rest against his chest.</p><p>A small sob had her saying, "They took everything from us… Again."</p><p>She started to cry in earnest then, unable to hold back the flood. Her hands went up to his chest, his shoulders, seeking. She squeezed a bit, nails digging into his taut skin. He just stood there, rooted to the ground like a tree, hands slack at his sides and it nearly made her cry harder.</p><p>But then, ever so slowly, his arms went around her. His jaw brushed against her rain-slick hair. She savored his warmth each place they connected, felt the featherlight touch of his chin against her temple. It made her tears stop trailing salty paths down her cheeks. Made her stop feeling the bad things for a moment. And it made her wonder.</p><p>Slowly, as if moving through a heavy weight, she put a little distance between their faces and looked up into his mako-flecked blue eyes. There was so much pain in them. For what had happened, for her, she didn't know. She only knew that if this contact he'd given her had lessened her own hurts, she might seek to lighten his as well.</p><p>Tension clicked into place between them, buzzing like electricity filling in what little space separated their noses. Cloud looked like he might startle, his eyes searching hers. But then, <em>oh then</em>, they dipped down subtly. He was looking at her lips, she realized.</p><p>She rose a little on her toes, steadying herself with one hand still on his shoulder and the other now slipping up the column of his neck. The smallest inch between her lips and his own. She waited, but he didn't move, so she brushed her lips against his. Once, twice. And it was like throwing water on all that electricity that had been between them, the sparks arcing so hot she almost backed up.</p><p>But was that… <em>oh gods</em>, his arms tightened against her and this time, he brushed her lips. Side-to-side like he was trying to discern how they fit and felt in contact. It was all the encouragement she needed. Her arms looped around his neck as she pressed into him, closing all the gaps between them and letting the heat of him settle into her.</p><p>The rain picked up, sending trickles of water down her back and sides where his hands roamed to collect them, leaving little trails of gooseflesh where they went. She shuddered against him and a little noise slipped from her mouth. Apparently, all the encouragement he needed. His lips crushed against hers then. And that kiss, that first kiss, it wrecked her. Shook her soul and left her feeling parched, in need of more. She'd take all she could get from it, deepening the kiss until she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.</p><p>But it was raining. And that could only mean one thing.</p><p>Tifa startled awake, sweating and sticking to the sheets, trying to come to grips with what she'd seen in her mind's eye. This dream again. She was growing tired of the feeling when she noticed the little atmospheric differences, the only tell that it was indeed a dream. That feeling that she didn't want to wake up. Grasping at the flimsy strings and trying to pull that heavy sleep back down over herself. It left her mouth dry, her mind racing. And every time it happened, it left her that much closer to thinking she might actually do something about the feelings that plagued her nights.</p><p><em>Tomorrow</em>, she told herself, and she tried to fall back asleep.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>Disclaimer: These characters and locations belong to Square Enix. I just meddle with them for fun.</em>
</p><hr/><p><strong>Notes:</strong> This is what I haven't been able to get out of my head for weeks now. The reason I ended up back on this site. I'll admit, I was never a fan of Cloud. But the remake changed my mind and so here I am, with my first Tifa/Cloud fic. What has the world come to?! Haha. I have some big ideas for this one and would love your thoughts encouragement. How'd I do?</p><p></p><div>
  <p>My vision was to keep the scene as close as possible to the original, but diverge from the last part of it that annoyed me (the whole "you're hurting me" too tight hug). However, I didn't think it would be much fun if it actually happened... but decided instead that it could be fuel for the fire that might drive Tifa to action. Curious what she'll do? I'm hoping to update this one soon, so keep an eye out.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chance Encounters with Chocobos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A chance encounter with a Chocobo leaves Tifa feeling more than a little hopeful and also sure that Cloud shouldn't quit his day job to become a comedian.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I figured we needed a little lightheartedness at the beginning of their journey and after such an emotional first chapter. I often wondered what FFVII would have been like with the camping feature that FFXV has, so I wanted to work in more of what it would have been like for them all to travel together. And of course, I didn't break up the group like the original did (I kind of hope the next installment of the remake keeps them together too).</p><p>I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and I'll be working on the next! As always, I love hearing from readers so drop me a line if you like this chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p><em><strong>T</strong></em>hey were leaving Midgar behind today and it gave Tifa mixed feelings. Made her mind race in a way that set her heart to a matching beat of fury. A part of her wouldn't mind if she never had to see the wreckage of Sector 7 again. And yet she felt somehow like leaving it behind made her one of two things. Some of the time, she thought it made her weak to run away from it. The rest of the time, she heard the word <em>homeless</em> ricochet through her mind. Like she didn't have a place in the world any longer. It left her wondering where she did belong.</p><p>She didn't let any of them see it. She'd cover every jolt of pain that stemmed from her thoughts with a smile, especially when any of them happened to glance her way. She just kept cramming the thoughts into the closet of her mind, the door bulging when she shoved against it to try and hide those musings away.</p><p>Somewhere between Midgar and Kalm, they stopped for the day. Her feet were aching and she'd kill for a shower, but there wasn't even a stream to speak of. And there were only rocks and tufts of grass to sit on. Cloud had gone scrounging for kindling and wood while Barret scraped away at a spot on the ground to create a makeshift pit for a fire. Aerith had wandered off, looking for flowers she'd said. She'd been vibrant with joy after she found a type of flower she hadn't ever seen before. Joy that seemed to Tifa such a stark contrast against the events of late.</p><p>Tifa watched idly as Red snoozed by a rock near her, his paws crossed one over the other. She noted the way his tail twitched even in his sleep and grinned a bit. It was hard, on occasion, not to want to ruffle the fur on his head. She had to remind herself he wasn't an ordinary creature, some domesticated pet. That he seemed to her more human than beast.</p><p>She wasn't sure when she drifted off herself, but the soft rhythm of Red's sleepy breaths lulled her into a dreamless nap of her own as the sun drew low on the horizon.</p>
<hr/><p>Cloud didn't quite know what to do with the scene he arrived to. Tifa and Red were dozing, the former half-slumped against the latter, her arm curled beneath her, hair falling down Red's shoulder to pool in the grass.</p><p>As Cloud approached to set down his bounty of twigs and sad little scraps of thick stems he'd managed to carve out of the bushes in the area, Red stirred, realizing he was trapped beneath an arm. He just huffed indignantly, seemingly resigning himself to his role as pillow. Barret's lips went into a thin line, like he was trying to hold back a laugh.</p><p>"She just kind of… scootched over to him after she drifted off," Barret informed Cloud. "Kinda cute."</p><p>"I can hear you," Red interrupted with another huff.</p><p>Aerith, a scatter of different blooms at her feet, chimed in, "You know you like it, don't be silly."</p><p>At this, Barret actually laughed, earning a pointed stare from Red who had to peer around Tifa's hair to make the eye contact. Aerith joined in the laughter before she added, "It looks like you're wearing a wig."</p><p>Cloud couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as Red returned to his pout on crossed paws. He dragged his gaze up from Red to Tifa's sleeping face. For a moment, he allowed himself to admire her strength. She'd gone from sobbing in his arms a few days ago back to smiling whenever they interacted. He watched her lashes flutter a bit against her cheeks and, worried he'd be caught staring, set to the task of starting a fire.</p><p>That night flooded back into his mind without warning. She'd been so broken, so hopeless. She had fallen in to him for comfort after the plate collapsed and it caught him—and his carefully crafted shield—off guard for a moment. She had unknowingly found a weak point that allowed his emotions to slip uncontrolled through the cracks. And all the fear, the grief, the inability to help her, mixed with his long suppressed feelings for his childhood friend—it had made his arms tighten until it hurt her. He'd forgotten his own strength, how they'd enhanced it so much. He felt ashamed by that moment of lost control whenever he thought of it.</p><p>He quickly distracted himself from remembering that moment by turning to tending the fire, letting his mind get lost in the dancing flames and crackling embers.</p>
<hr/><p>Tifa felt the groggy hands of sleep pulling at her even as she opened her eyes. How long had she been out? Something was tickling her nose and she bolted upright. Glancing down, she realized it had been fur. Red stretched like nothing had happened and used the opportunity to shift away a bit. She felt her cheeks warm as she noticed all of the faces floating around the fire were staring at her.</p><p>"I… must have dozed off," she said with an anxious laugh.</p><p>"It's okay," Aerith chirped. "You looked like you could use the rest."</p><p>Red was grumbling something indistinct and Aerith stuck her tongue out at him.</p><p>Barret joined the conversation, "You turned Red into a pillow."</p><p>"Ahh, sorry about that Red," she said with a pat to his head. When he froze under the touch, she quickly yanked her hand away to her mouth, suppressing the urge to chew her nails.</p><p>"I'm glad you got some rest," Cloud supplied from across the fire.</p><p>"Thanks guys," was all she could think to say with a little stretch. She rose to her feet, feeling the stiffness in her limbs from sleeping on the ground. "I think I need to go for a walk, stretch my legs a little."</p><p>An awkward hush spread as a silent conversation seemed to pass between Barret and Cloud by way of heated stares. Cloud shuffled to his feet and sighed, "I'll go with you."</p><p>"Oh, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine," she assured them both. Besides, there were some things she needed to see to. Alone.</p><p>"It's dark out there," Barret cut in. "You might run into a fiend, just let Cloud go with you."</p><p>Brushing a few errant strands of hair from her face, she shifted under the weight of Barret's gaze. <em>How to make him see…</em> "I've got this. I'll be fine. Besides, you'll be more likely to draw them with that fire." She waved her hand at the flames.</p><p>"But—"</p><p>"Barret, I have to pee."</p><p>Silence swept their campfire circle and she blushed for the second time in the last five minutes. Barret snorted, "You should have just said so."</p><p>Tifa puffed a laugh, "Oh sure, next time I'll just shout it from the mountaintops."</p><p>Now they were all laughing, an awkward mix of sounds, and she quickly turned on her heel.</p><p>"Be careful," Barret called after her. She waved a dismissive hand back at him.</p><p>Tifa made sure to wander unnecessarily far away from camp, embarrassed enough for one night.</p><p>On her way back she detoured on a whim, wishing to be alone with her thoughts. That last night in the city, that dream had haunted her again. She'd been so determined to do something, <em>anything</em> about it when she'd drifted back to sleep. But the boldness she felt had withered when she came face-to-face with Cloud. She wished she were able to be so bold with her feelings the way Aerith was. Instead, she just carried on like nothing had happened. She lost track of time, sinking into the swirling emotions she kept so deeply hidden.</p><p>Once she'd gone in more than a few mental circles Tifa sighed and tilted her head up toward the sky, wrapping her arms loosely around herself against the crisp air. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen so many stars, the vastness of the night sky stretching in every direction like an endless sea. And she was so lost in the sight that she did not notice the fiend creeping just behind her.</p><p>A crunch of grass underfoot from behind and Tifa let out a clipped noise, the only sign of her surprise. She whirled and launched into a defensive stance. But she startled further when she felt another presence at her side.</p><p>"Need a hand?" Cloud asked, sword drawn. And she lost focus for a moment as she wondered just where the heck he'd come from.</p><p>But they both were in for a shock when the fiend finally drew closer, moonlight faintly outlining feathers and long, stilt legs.</p><p>Tifa dissolved into a fit of giggles, feeling a bit unhinged, as she tried to get out, "It's only a Chocobo."</p><p>Cloud, to her surprise, also laughed in earnest as the Chocobo spooked, taking off in a flurry of wings and legs, kweh-ing all the way.</p><p>Breathless from laughter, she turned and playfully pushed his shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"</p><p>"You were… gone a while. Barret got worried, wouldn't drop it until I came out here to make sure you were safe."</p><p>"Well, thanks to you I was spared from being eaten alive by a Chocobo," she grinned.</p><p>"Good thing," he jested, "that Chocobo would have had one heck of a time coughing you up—" a shuffle of feet, "—you know, to feed her chicks."</p><p>The comment made her stop and just stare, like it was the strangest thing in the world for him to attempt a joke like that. And it was. It took her a beat to dissolve into another fit of giggles, the stain of crimson spreading on Cloud's cheeks before she closed her eyes and doubled over.</p><p>A little drunk on laughter, she wondered the rest of the way back to camp if maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to give up on that boldness she'd felt a few nights ago. Maybe there was something to hope for, after all.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Disclaimer: These characters and locations belong to Square Enix. I just meddle with them for fun.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Kalm Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tifa is feeling the storm more than the Kalm. Puns aside, Cloud's story is revealed and Tifa grapples with the cracks in it. After Kalm, the team tries their hand at Chocobo catching. A mix of heavy emotions and lighthearted fun with goofy yellow birds.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>Kalm was a tiny village with quaint buildings that reminded her a little bit of home. The sight of it made her heart ache with old hurts, things that had never quite healed. And then they’d gone to the inn where her heart had threatened to crack wide open.</p>
<p><br/>Cloud had told the group his story, his version of what had happened in Nibelheim five years ago. It was strange enough that he’d opened up about so much, but she figured that the past few days of camping their way between Midgar and Kalm had led to a stronger feeling of camaraderie. She’d just stood there with a thousand thoughts colliding in her mind, eddying together like oil and water refusing to blend. It wasn’t right, his story wasn’t right. Zack was the one who had been there. It had been Zack and not Cloud, that SOLDIER who had accompanied Sephiroth, right? She felt doubt and confusion creep in like unwelcome company. She had to get away, find space to work through her feelings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tifa felt herself bolt a moment before it actually happened, as if in a dream where movements are viewed rather than felt. As her body caught up to her mind, she slammed into the door a bit harder than she’d meant to. It swung wide and clipped the wall behind, leaving the group to gape at her. But her feet weren’t about to stop now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When she finally did pull to a stop, it was just behind the last building in town. She felt that strange uneasiness of falling as she leaned against the cool rock that climbed the lower third of the wall. It was lower than she expected and she slouched to the ground. Her pulse thrummed in her ears, threatening to drown out the sounds of townspeople going about their day not far away from her. Waves of nausea washed over her as a single tear escaped, plummeting to the earth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What have you become?” she whispered, wondering how her childhood friend had gotten things so backward. His state of mind seemed so fragile, how could she dare be the one to tell him that his story wasn’t truth? That she recalled an entirely different experience that he’d not been a part of.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She’d spent ages wondering about him, whether he’d made it into SOLDIER. She had scanned newspapers, trying to ascertain if he’d been successful. She had even tried to work up the nerve to ask about him, eventually finding a way to check with Zack about a golden haired SOLDIER. The embarrassment flooded back, how quickly she’d tried to dismiss the question.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She wasn’t sure how long she sat there hiding from the world, puzzling things out, only that her legs had fallen asleep and her back ached from slouching. The words, “There you are,” sent her pulse into overdrive again as she sat up and pressed her back to the wall in surprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Swiveling to see where the words had come from, Tifa spotted Cloud leaning against the corner of the building. He could be the picture of casual grace, sometimes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She forced a smile, “Hey, Cloud.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fighting to hold his stare and losing the battle bit by bit, she let her eyes drop to the ground between them. “I’m fine, I just needed a minute.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Boots shuffled across the dirt as Cloud slipped his sword from its sheath and rested it against the wall. She listened to the creak of his clothing as he crouched beside her, close enough that the warmth radiating from him seeped into her and brought awareness of just how chill the air had become.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What is it?” He nudged the conversation forward softly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tifa scrubbed at her face, willing herself to pull it all together, to put on that brave face. She couldn’t let him know, not yet. “I was… I was thinking about my parents.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t exactly a lie, the likeness of Kalm to Nibelheim had stirred up a lot of memory and emotion where the past was concerned. She’d felt the absence of her mom as if it were a fresh bruise, tender to the touch.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She sensed his deep breath, the long sigh he let out as he leaned his head back against the building. “I’m sorry, Tifa. I wasn’t thinking. I should have known that my story might stir things for you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The consideration felt like claws dragging down her chest. Why couldn’t she just be honest with him? Putting him through this dance of lies just to soothe her own racing thoughts felt selfish. It felt like betrayal. She’d let him blame himself by keeping silent. But how much more would it crack his psyche for her to reveal the truth now?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The silence stretched, it made Cloud fidget. Without giving it so much as a second thought, Tifa let herself fall gently against his side.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’ll all be okay, won’t it?” She wasn’t sure who she was asking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She felt her own fissures and hurts begin to mend, like contact with him could soothe them. Every bit of tension she’d been holding in seemed to crackle to life as she felt Cloud shift, rotating the arm she was leaning against until gloved fingers gingerly touched her cheek. It was as if the tension drained out through his fingers, releasing into the atmosphere. And she didn’t know what to do with the lightness that rushed in, not in that moment with so much unsaid. No one had the answer to the query she’d thrown out into the failing sunlight. For now, all she could manage was to stay still, letting the minutes tick by and savoring the warmth between them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t long after that Red found them. Tifa thought that even with his sleek face of ginger fur, he somehow managed to blush as he turned quickly away, mumbling. She let out a breath and peeled away from Cloud one vertebrae at a time, feeling the cold rush into every place she broke away from him. “I guess we should get back.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cloud seemed to just watch her as she stood, the way he tracked her movements making her all the more aware of each one. “I guess,” he offered in a distant voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before she could start blushing herself, she turned away and called after Red. He pivoted back with a little shake of the head as she approached the edge of the building she’d taken refuge behind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I was concerned for you, how you left earlier. I see you are… all right,” he explained.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Feeling a bit better, thank you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Red nodded and started back down the path through the middle of town. Several people who had been milling about stared after him, shocked to have heard him speak with such clarity. Heated whispers flew here and there, most of which she caught as baffled outcries that floated over on the breeze. Tifa huffed a mirthful laugh, surprised at how much better she actually did feel. The shadows of her thoughts still waited for an opportunity to emerge, she could feel their presence. But for now, the burden seemed lighter. She felt, more than saw, Cloud join her between the buildings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Tifa?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hm,” she answered, still watching Red as he stalked unfazed through the gathering townsfolk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think, somehow… everything will be okay. Eventually.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A little shocked by the sentiment, her eyes widened as she searched for his. She found sincerity there, even if it seemed swirled in with a little uncertainty. She held the connection a moment longer before allowing herself the faintest of smiles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think,” she said with a nod in Red’s direction, “if we don’t catch up to him, this superstitious lot might try and apprehend poor Red.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’d like to see them try,” Cloud added with a smirk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>————————</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The following morning had them setting out again, heading for a small Chocobo farm where they might inquire for passage beyond the dangerous marsh they’d been informed of. Cloud had a hunch about the Mythril Mines that lay just past the marsh, so they’d set the mines as the next major destination on their hunt. At the farm, they’d been able to purchase a few greens and a lure. A couple of tips sent them into the plains, searching for the feathery friends who would help them in their journey.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not seeing<em> anything</em>,” Barret put in after hours of looking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not true, there have been <em>some </em>tracks.” Aerith merely gave Barret a look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And that’s about all,” he mumbled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Let’s just go back to square one here,” Tifa interrupted before they could bicker. “We were supposed to stick to the areas where we saw tracks, so let’s try that first spot again.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her feet hurt and the greens in her arms felt scratchy, heavier now than they had been hours before. They wandered quietly back toward the original set of tracks and she hoped sincerely that they’d find something before this whole venture devolved into arguments. So many strong personalities in one small group could get overwhelming at times. Her hope wasn’t without merit. She wanted to squeal in delight and relief when they saw a small flock of long-legged birds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay,” Cloud started, just above a whisper. “Let’s make it count.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They crept forward with greens in outstretched hands, hoping not to spook but to entice the skeptical creatures into friendship. As they approached, a few fiends picked a poor time to make their own appearance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shit,” Barret whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We got this,” Tifa encouraged, readying to toss the greens out to distract the birds while they finished off the fiends.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Everyone toss your greens on three,” Cloud said with an ensuing countdown.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Greens flew through the air in unison and plopped down just in front of the Chocobos who kwehed in glee, flapping excitedly. With their focus on the feast at hand, the team was free to battle off the weak set of fiends quickly. That divide Tifa felt not long ago evaporated on the wind as she was reminded how well they truly worked together when it counted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fiends slayed, she turned to find the Chocobos still heartily indulging, “Maybe we gave them a bit much?” She couldn’t help laughing at the sight, bits of greens flying this way and that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She eased her way over to one of the birds, she realized she felt drawn to this one more than the others. It had kind eyes, she noted. As she crept, the Chocobo’s awareness of her inched across it’s features. She spoke to it in hushed tones, soothing and letting it know she was a friend. Gently, she reached out and hesitantly touched the bird’s neck. A female, she realized then. The bird stilled, but didn’t move away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There we go,” Tifa told her. “We can be friends, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As if in answer, the Chocobo went back to eating, deciding the contact was acceptable. Tifa let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and grinned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ll be fast friends, then, Maize.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Did you name her already?” Aerith chimed in, brushing the feathers of her own Chocobo affectionately.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tifa nodded, “She’s the color of the crops they grow outside Costa del Sol. I’ve always wanted to go there, but I’ve never been. So… Maize,” she declared.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maize ruffled her feathers as if in agreement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Aerith laughed, “Well, I guess I should name you. Hmm.” She pressed a finger to her lips, snapping it a moment later. “I know! Freesia. She’s fast and yellow and she smells nice.” Just then, Aerith sniffed at the giant bird who simply made a startled noise before going back to her greens.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Barret, seeming unimpressed, commented, “Don’t expect me to pick some flowery name for this guy.” He clapped the Chocobo he’d chosen on the back, earning a pout from Aerith.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You have to name him,” she insisted, “or I will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Barret just gave her a put-out look and said, “Fine. He’ll be Corel, after my hometown.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Real original,” Tifa teased him. “How about your’s, Cloud?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cloud just shook his head. “I’m not good at naming things.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can’t do much worse than Corel,” Aerith laughed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How about Sunny?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A collective laugh at the cheesiness of the name seemed to solidify it as the golden Chocobo’s moniker.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You shouldn’t plan to get attached, we’ll be taking a lot of risk forging the marsh,” Red warned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Spoil sport,” Aerith said before sticking her tongue out at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A question occurred to Tifa and she scratched Maize absently as she asked, “Red… how will you, ahhh—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can swim as fast as they can,” Red interrupted, grasping where she was going with the thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, got it,” she said with a nod. “I guess we should try our hand at riding?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Has anyone here even done this before?” Aerith queried.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Every head shook. It wasn’t as if opportunities really arose in Midgar and mostly, Tifa had traveled by train or by car on occasion. And when she had seen Chocobos as a mode of transportation, it was always via a wagon. With so much technological advancement, actually riding a Chocobo seemed outdated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nervous for how it would go, Tifa shuffled her feet a bit. “So how do we do this?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think the reins come next,” Cloud offered. They gently worked on outfitting the Chocobos with the leather accessories they’d purchased.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then, we ride. Chocobo Bill said you just have to go for it,” Barret said as he swung a leg wide and hopped on Corel’s back. “There, nice and easy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With that, Corel spooked and took off running. Barret clung to his ride as if his life depended on it, leaving everyone to laugh at the sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh sure, so easy,” Aerith added with a hand to her mouth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite the initial flurry, Barret and Corel seemed to work things out as he circled slowly around the group. It seemed encouraging enough that Tifa gave Maize an assessing look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay, girl. Are you going to be nice?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maize turned one of her kind eyes toward Tifa, giving her an assessing look right back. She puffed her feathers just a bit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not sure what that means, but here goes nothing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tifa swung a leg up and over, hauling herself as nimbly as she could onto Maize’s back. “There we go, good girl!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Aerith and Cloud followed suit, the latter seeming to make it look completely effortless. The former, however, caught a spitfire of a bird.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Freesia!” Aerith exclaimed, pulling backward on the reins with a little more strength than needed. Freesia started to back up, following the direction she was being given with a haughty little snort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You gotta ease up on the reins,” Cloud tried to tell her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a moment too late as Freesia flapped her stubby wings and sent Aerith tumbling backward onto the grassy field with a thump.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aerith!” Tifa called as she watched Cloud swiftly dismount and pull Sunny toward Aerith. Freesia stood proudly over her rider, but didn’t run.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cloud came to Aerith’s side and gave her a once over, to which she preened subtly enough that Tifa wondered if she was imagining it. There were little moments, sometimes, that she couldn’t decide whether to be jealous or to brush it off as a budding friendship. More often than not, she chose to overlook those moments in favor of her own blossoming friendship with the flower girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m okay,” Aerith giggled. “We’re just figuring each other out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With that, she stood and brushed off her skirts. She patted Cloud on the shoulder with a familiarity that knotted Tifa’s stomach, then moved to try again with Freesia. In better spirits after asserting who was boss, Freesia seemed calmer. Aerith guided her around, showering the spirited female with compliments and pets.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tifa watched Cloud watch Aerith for a moment, perhaps a little longer than she should. Cloud glanced away from Chocobo and rider to meet her gaze. He shrugged as if to say ‘I guess they figured it out.’ She nodded, trying to lessen that knotting in her gut. They had shared more than a couple moments of closeness now and Aerith seemed—she seemed like Aerith. Flirty, maybe attracted to Cloud, but also aloof. Seemingly lost in the past. She vowed to find out more about this first love of Aerith’s. Not to assess, but to get to know the mysterious woman from Sector 5 a bit better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shall we?” Tifa asked with a nod toward the marsh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Let’s go,” Cloud answered after hopping back on Sunny.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They set off for the marsh, chatting over the sound of Chocobo feet against the earth. Despite all of the warring thoughts from the last two days, Tifa soaked in the feel of the wind in her face and the warm sunshine on the horizon.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all sooo much for the Kudos, comments, and your patience while waiting on this next chapter. I felt somewhat stuck in deciding what I wanted to do after the last chapter, I'm an extremely in the moment, stream of consciousness type of writer so I rarely have much direction haha. With this one, though, I'm really wanting to have more direction so I've been somewhat mapping that out. The result was a slight delay to this chapter, but I've already started on the next so that is the good news! </p>
<p>Let me know your thoughts on this one, I'd love to chat about it in the comments :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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